Goodbye Love: A Eulogy for RENT
by TwilighterRenthead
Summary: A long overdue tribute to RENT's long and illustrious life.


A/N: So, we had to write a eulogy in Language Arts, and I picked RENT, for obvious reasons. I know you probably know most of the facts in this, but here it is. Hope you enjoy it!

Goodbye Love: A Eulogy for RE_N_T

On January 25th, 1996, Jonathan Larson introduced the world to RENT, his recently finished rock opera. Sadly, Jonathan did not live to see RENT's first performance: He had died the night before of an aortic aneurysm. But the world remembers RENT, it's story, and it's message. A message of hope, love, joy, and to live every day as if it's your last.

It is a modernized version of Giacomo Puccini's La Boheme. In New York City's 1989/1990 East Village, eight friends live in the face of AIDS and death every day, just barely making ends meet. But its song and story never fail to convey love and hope.

Marcello the painter became Mark, a videographer, who loves nothing more than his friends, his film, his scarf, and his ex-girlfriend, Maureen. Rodolfo the poet becomes Roger Davis, an HIV positive songwriter whose one goal is to write a meaningful song before he dies. Mimi is Mimi Marquez, a heroin-addicted, HIV+, S&M dancer who lives by the motto "No Day but Today." Colline the philosopher becomes Thomas B. Collins (Collins, as everyone knows him), teacher of computer-age philosophy at NYU, HIV positive, "vagabond anarchist who ran naked through the Parthenon." His lover is Angel Dumott Schunard, formerly Schaunard the musician. Angel is the music loving, street drumming drag queen with AIDS. Musetta, Marcello's former sweetheart, becomes Maureen, a bisexual performance artist with commitment issues, who leaves Mark for a woman. This woman is Joanne Jefferson, originally Alcindoro. Joanne is a Harvard educated lawyer who learned to tango from the French ambassador's daughter at Miss Porter's. Then, there is Benny, who was Benoit, Mark and Roger's former roommate turned landlord.

It's vocals are challenging and soaring. Mimi jumps from an E to the E above it in "Out Tonight." Roger blasts his way through the power ballad "One Song Glory," plowing through notes that some women can't reach. Angel must sing alto/mezzo-soprano on many of his songs. Maureen and Joanne tear each other to bits in "Take Me or Leave Me," powering through high Ds and Es. Collins plunges deep in "I'll Cover You, Reprise," and "Santa Fe." Mark pours so much raw emotion into his songs that you find yourself feeling the same.

The lyrics are deep and piercing, searing your soul, warming your heart, bringing tears to your eyes, inspiring you. Mimi after Roger leaves for Santa Fe: "Goodbye, love. Hello, disease." Primarily Mimi and Angel: "No day but today." All of them during Seasons of Love: "How about love?" Roger singing to a dying Mimi: "I should tell you, I have always loved you." Mimi, during Angel's death and a fight with Roger: "I die without you." Mark at Angel's funeral, coming to terms with the fact that three more of his friends are dying of AIDS: "Why am I the witness, and when I capture it on film, will it mean that it's the end, and I'm alone?" Collins (the last line is everyone) at Angel's funeral: "Angel helped us believe in love. I can't believe you disagree. I can't believe this is goodbye." Mimi and roger during a confrontation: "I live this moment as my last." At an AIDS support group: "Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?" Roger singing "One Song Glory": "One song, to redeem this empty life. Time flies, and then no need to endure anymore. Time dies." Collins and Angel expressing their love for one another: " 'So what, are we a thing?' 'Darling, we're everything.'" Maureen's performance piece; "Only thing to do is jump over the moon."

But at times, it's not the music and the lyrics that touch us. Sometimes it is the feeling that these are people we know, that we are these people. We all feel alone, like Mark; we all feel depression and lack of inspiration, like Roger; we are reckless like Mimi, generous like Angel; playful like Collins; hyper like Maureen and serious like Joanne; we are ambitious, like Benny.

RENT has touched the lives of millions. It has been translated into nearly every major language, seen on nearly every continent. It has inspired young dreamers, prevented suicides, changed political and religious minds. It launched the careers of actors like Adam Pascal (Aida, Chess) and Idina Menzel (Wicked, Chess). In 2005, it was made into a major motion picture, bringing in a new wave of "Rentheads" as we affectionately call ourselves. I was one of them.

But, as the cliché goes, all good things must come to an end. On September 7th, 2008, RENT played for one last time at the Nederlander Theatre. It had come a long way in 12 years. From the concept by Billy Aronson, to the seven years of composition by Jonathan Larson, to the first heartbroken and heartbreaking first performance at the New York Theatre Workshop, to the Tony Award for best musical and the Pulitzer prize, to it's final show. At the end of the first show at the NYTW, the audience was silent, until one person spoke these deep, simple words that the world agrees with: Thank you, Jonathan Larson.

A/N: Reviews are the Collins to my Angel, the Roger to my Mimi, the Mo to my Jo, my... yeah, you get what I mean (Haha, it said that Mo wasn't a word on my computer and one of the spelling suggestions was moo. Haha!)


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